This invention relates to combine headers, and more particularly to a cutting apparatus for stripping long vegetation from the central drum portion of the feed auger in a combine header.
The accumulation of vines, long stalks and other undesirable vegetation about the radial spikes on the central drum portion of a rotary auger in a combine header is a consistent problem for farmers operating agricultural combines.
Several attempts have been made to overcome this problem by stripping or cutting the vines, stalks, and other unwanted vegetation from the radial spikes and the central portion of the auger. Some of these stripper devices are disclosed in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,778,483 Nikkel Jan. 22, 1957, 3,021,662 Yaniuk Feb. 20, 1962, 3,525,204 Dovichak Aug. 25, 1970.
Dovichak discloses a stripper bar for stripping vegetation from the helical blades of the auger.
Nikkel discloses a guard plate having slots through which the radial feed fingers pass in order to strip the vegetation from the fingers.
Yaniuk discloses a plurality of cutter bars extending between adjacent feed fingers on the central drum portion of the auger for cutting the vegetation carried by the feed fingers past the cutter bars. The Yaniuk cutter bars are mounted behind the auger and above the feed opening, but the cutter elements are separate from and fixed to the sides of the cutter bars, thereby taking up unnecessary space between the closely spaced feed fingers 11. Moreover, the cutter bars of Yaniuk are mounted in a rigid position relative to the feed opening and the auger.